Dry cleaning machine



w. .J. LUCKMAN DRY CLEANING MACHINE Filed Jan. 13, 1941 IN VEN TOR m N RO n A Patented Dec. 1, 1942 DRY CLEANING MACHINE Wilbur .l. Gluckman,Akron, Ohio, assignor to Bendix Home Appliances, Inc., South Bend, Ind.,a corporation of Delaware Application January 13, 1941, Serial No.374,186

1 Claim.

My invention relates to a dry cleaning machine and method and, moreparticularly, to an automatic dry cleaning machine in which garments andthe like can be cleaned and from which the cleaning fluid will beextracted and filtered for re-use without any intermediate control by anattendant.

In carrying out my invention, I utilize the tumbling action, fabricdistribution and extraction set forth in United States Patent No.2,165,884 to John W. Chamberlin and Rex Earl Bassett, Jr.

My invention has for its object the combination of a fluid cleaning,fluid storage and fluid delivery mechanism with a cleaning andextracting machine in which all of the parts are sequentially controlledby a timing mechanism and a float mechanism, so that it is necessaryonly 1 for an attendant to insert the fabrics to be cleaned, to set thesequential control mechanism to its Start position and eventually totributes to the appearance of my automatic,

cleaning machine, inasmuch as such a machine is primarily for use instores and small establishments.

The cleaning and extracting machine comprises a horizontally mountedreceptacle 3 supported within a tub 4 and arranged to be driven by amotor 5 through a transmission 6, a belt 1 and a pulley 8. The motor andtransmission are fastened together as a unit and are supported by a pairof arms ||l pivoted on a rod II, which is supported ina frame l2, thepivotal support of the motor and transmission serving to keep the belt Itight. The transmission 6 may be of the type illustrated in theheretofore-mentioned United States Patent No. 2,165,884 or of any othersuitable form, there being a solenoid l5 for controlling thetransmission to cause it to rotate the receptacle at slow speed (about59 cleaning and at high speed (300 R. P. M. or over for a diameterreceptacle) for extracting.

A pump I6, driven by a motor ll, supplies cleaning fluid, which may becarbon tetrachloride, from a reservoir l9 below the level of the tub 4through a flexible tube 20, preferably lined with Resistoflex, sincethis material is not affected by carbon tetrachloride, to an injectionnozzle 2|, which discharges its fluid through an opening 24 in one endof the receptacle 3.

A float chamber 26 is connected with the tub 4 through a conduit 21 andcontains a float 28 mechanically connected to a pair of electricalcontacts 29 and 30 located in a housing 3|. The structure is such thatthe contacts 29 and 30 are opened when the float 28 rises to apredetermined height as a result of the rise in level of the cleaningfluid within the tub.

A pump 33, driven by a motor 34, extracts cleaning fluid from a screenchamber 38 at the bottom of the tub 4 and delivers the cleaning fluidthrough a pipe 31 into the top of a filter charged into the receptacle.

tank 38. In the bottom of this tank, held between screens, is a quantityof diatomaceous earth 39 or other filter material through which thecleaning fluid trickles in passing from the fllter tank 38 into thestorage tank l9. A motor driven sequence switch 42 controls the circuitsof the various motors 5, ll, 33 and of its own motor 43, as well as thecircuit of the shifter solenoid l5.

In operation, a door in the end of the tub 4, in alignment with theopening 24 in the receptacle 3, is opened, and a quantity of fabric isThe door is then closed to prevent the escape of fluid or fumes,

and a handle or knob on the sequence controller 42 is rotated in aclockwise direction until blade contacts segments 5| and 52. When theblade 50 contacts segment 52, two circuits are completed, one throughthe sequence controller motor 43 and the other through the main motor 5.The sequence controller motor 43 is preferably a synchronous motorfwhichnow drives the blade 50 in a clockwise direction at a predetermined slowspeed; for example, one revolution in twenty minutes. The completion ofthe contact between blade 50 and segment 5| establishes a circuit fromone main line conductor 54, through float contacts 29 and 30 and pumpmotor. back to the other main line conductor 55. This drives the pumpI6, causing cleaning fluid to flow into the tub 4 through nozzle 2|,until the level of the cleaning fluid has raised the float 28 to a R. PM- for a diameter receptacle) for predetermined height which opens thecontacts ,with the bottom of the receptacle.

29 and 30. This stops the operation of the pump 16, the level oi thenozzle being above the level of the liquid in the tub, so that thecleaning fluid does not run back, through the now stationary pump, intothe storage tank IS.

The receptacle 3 is now being rotated at its cleaning speed, about 59 R.P. M. for a 20" di ameter receptacle. At this speed the fabrics arecarried upwardly in the receptacle to a point near the top, from whichthey fall across the axis of the receptacle and plunge into the fluidwhich partially fills the lower part of the receptacle. A large quantityof fluid is carried upwardly with the fabrics, and this fluid cataractsdown onto the fabrics which are moving along This cleaning actioncontinues until the blade 50 of the sequence controller comes in contactwith segment 51. When this happens, the circuit from conductor 54 iscompleted through the motor 34, causing the pump 33 to withdraw thecleaning fluid from the tub 4 and discharge it, through conduit 31, intothe filter tank 38. The sizes of the pump 33 and of the conduit throughwhich the cleaning fluid is discharged from the tub are so related tothe speed of the sequence controller that all of the cleaning fluid isremoved from the tub before the blade 50 contacts segment 58 of thesequence controller.

The absence of free cleaning fluid in the tub 4 permits the fabricswithin the receptacle 3 to become substantially evenly distributed aboutthe circumference of the receptacle, the centrifugal force beingsuflicient to hold the fabrics against the receptacle when they passover the top when there is no free cleaning fluid in the tub. The

rotation of the receptacle ,at cleaning speed, which may increase atthis time from 59 R. P. M. to 60 or 61 R. P. M. due to the removal ofload on the driving motor 5 for a few seconds, in the absence ofcleaning fluid, permits articles, which at first do not find lodgmentagainst the periphery of the receptacle 3, eventually to fall into acavity sufficiently remote from the axis of the receptacle 3 thatcentrifugal force then holds these articles against the periphery of thereceptacle. This period is termed the distribution period, and byproperly proportioning the diameter of the receptacle and the speed ofrotation, as explained in the aforementioned United States Patent No.2,165,884, substantially uniform distribution is accomplished.

When blade 50 comes in contact with segment 58 of the'sequencecontroller, a circuit is completed through the shifter solenoid l5,which causes the transmission 6 to drive the receptacle at graduallyincreasing speeds until a final speed above 300 R. P. M. is reached,During the extraction, the circuit of motor 34 remains unbroken, so thatcleaning iluid centrifugally extracted from the fabrics by thehigh-speed rotation of the receptacle 3 is continuously withdrawn fromthe screen chamber 36 and is discharged into the filter chamber 38.After a predetermined period of extraction, the blade 50 passes offsegments 52, 51 and 58, and the machine automatically comes to rest,after which the door in the end of the tub 4 may be opened. If it isdesired to evaporate some of the cleaning fluid out of the fabrics inthe receptacle before removing the fabrics from the receptacle, the doorof the tub may be opened during the latter part of the extractionperiod, and at the same time the damper 60 may be opened, so that bycentrifugal force air is drawn in through the door opening and expelledto outside atmosphere through the vent pipe 6!.

Inasmuch as the blade 50 is frictionally connected' with its drivemechanism, it may be rotated by hand, independently of the drivemechanism, and thus, if it is desired that the extraction period becontinued for a considerable length of time for the purpose of drivingoff the remnant of cleaning fluid by the passage of air through thefabrics centrifugally, the blade 50 may be turned in a counter-clockwisedirection to prolong the extraction period to any extent deemeddesirable.

Although my invention is shown and described in conjunction withspecific apparatus, it is to be understood that I do not desire to beunduly limited thereto, certain alternatives being possible withoutdeparting from the spirit or scope of my invention.

I claim:

Apparatus for cleaning fabrics by the repeated re-use of cleaning fluidcomprising a receptacle mounted for rotation upon a horizontal axis, amotor for driving said receptacle at cleaning speed and at extractingspeed, a tub surrounding said receptacle, a storage tank below the level.of said tub, a filter chamber discharging into the storage tank, a pumpfor transferring cleaning fluid from the storage tank to the tub, asecond motor for driving said'pump, means for closing the circuit ofsaid second motor to cause said pump to transfer cleaning fluid fromsaid storage tank to said tub, a float controlled by the level of theliquid in said tub, a pair of contacts in the circuit of said secondmotor controlled by said float and adapted to be opened when the levelof the cleaning fluid reaches a predetermined height in said tub,whereby the admission of cleaning fluid to the tub ceases, a motordriven sequence controller, a second pump for withdrawing cleaning fluidfrom said tub, said second pump having conduits delivering cleaningfluid to said filter chamber, a motor for said second pump, saidsequence controller closing the circuit of said motor for said secondpump after a predetermined lapse of time, said sequence controllerserving also to complete a circuit for causing said receptacle to rotateat high speed for extracting cleaning fluid from the fabrics thereinwhile said second pump continues to deliver extracted fluid to saidfilter chamber..

WILBUR J. GLUCKMAN.

